Active Learning Grant

Steelcase Education

Opportunity

In 2016, Steelcase Education established an annual grant program to fund select Active Learning Classrooms—physical spaces designed to support co-learning, co-creation and open discussion in educational settings. Each year, eligible educational institutions are invited to apply for this innovative grant, which provides furniture, onsite training, design, installation and evaluation supports for classrooms of up to 30 students.

Approach

For five consecutive years, SteeIcase Education has asked Williams Group to manage and support the grant program. In close collaboration with the Steelcase team, Wg writes the grant proposal guidelines, develops comprehensive communications plans and timelines, produces all program communications, and manages the extensive submission, award and implementation process—no small feat for a program of this size.

Results

In the grant's first year, the Steelcase Education grant team hoped to receive 200 applications. Instead, a remarkable 535 proposals were submitted, prompting the team to staff up their grant review process and recalibrate their expectations for this runaway success. Participation continues to rise with each passing year: In 2018, application submissions surpassed 1,000. National media has also responded very positively; paid and social media campaigns had more than 100,000 impressions last year, and yielded nearly 1,000 clicks to the Active Learning Center Grant landing page.

Building on the program’s massive success, Steelcase launched an Active Learning Symposium in 2017, gathering together former grant recipients. Now in its second year, this exclusive learning and sharing event in Grand Rapids serves as an excellent opportunity for teachers, staff and education thought leaders. Williams Group assists in a variety of ways, including consulting and project management support, content creation, design, scheduling and general logistics.

The education community’s response to our grant program surpassed our greatest expectations. Williams Group helped create this excitement with powerful communications—and managed the surge of applications, so everyone had a great experience.

– Craig Wilson, Steelcase Education

Williams Group is a strategic communications firm founded in 1978. At home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Wg team provides a full range of services—including strategic planning, design, writing and program management—supporting clients across North America and beyond.